Rail-joint.



No. 819,035. PATBNTED MAY 1, 1906.

J. P. ANK.

RAIL JOINT.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 22, 1905.

UNITED STATES PATENT oEEioE.

JACOB P. ANK, OF ORAWVFORDSVILLE, IOXVA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO NV. A. HARPER, OF CRAWFORDSVILLE, IOTVA.

RAIL-JOINT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 1, 1906.

Application filed June 22,1905. Serial No. 266,450.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JACOB P. AXK, a citizen of the United States, residing at Crawfordsville. in the county of WVashington and State of Iowa, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Rail-Joints, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in rail-1- oints, and has for its object to produce a device of this character which will effectively prevent both vertical and lateral movement of the rail ends and which will also tend to prevent the spreading of the .rails.

It consists, essentially, of a base-plate having a wing or flange integral therewith and embracing the web and base of one side of the rails and of a second plate fitting upon the opposite side of the rails.

A further object is to construct a rail-joint which will be simple and durable in construction and which can be readily manufactured at a comparatively small cost.

For a full description of the invention and the merits thereof and also to acquire a knowledge of the details of construction of the means for effecting the result reference is to be had to the following description and accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a perspective View of the device, showing the construction thereof and the teeth on the under. side of the base-plate. Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional view through a rail-joint embodying my invention.

Corresponding and like parts are referred to in the following description and indicated in all the views of the drawings by the same reference characters.

The numeral 1 designates the abutting rail ends, which are provided with the usual openings 2 in the web thereof. A base-plate 3 fits beneath the rails and is provided at one side with an integral wing or flange 4, which fits against the base and web of the rails and is provided with openings 5, corresponding to those in the web of the rails. A plate 6, formed so as to embrace the web and base of the rails, is placed upon the opposite side thereof and is provided with openings corresponding to those before mentioned. Bolts 7 are passed through these registering openings and hold the parts securely in position. The free side of the baseplate 3 extends beyond the base of the rails and is provided with openings 8, through which spikes 9 are passed, the heads of which engage with the plate 6 and tend to force the rail securely against the wing 4. Spikes are also preferably placed on the opposite side of the joint. The under side of the base-plate 3 is provided with teeth or projections 10, which are adapted to engage with the ties and prevent the rails from spreading. These teeth are preferably made with a square base and taper down to a sharp point, so that they will spread the fiber of the wood instead of cutting it, which tends to weaken the tie.

It will thus be readily understood that this device not only serves as a simple and efficient rail-joint, but also tends to keep the rails in proper gage and will hence very ma- -terially decrease the cost of track maintenance.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is In a rail-joint, the combination of the abutting rail ends, a base-plate extending beyond the base of the rails at one side and having spike-openings therein and also having a wing formed integral therewith on the opposite side and closely fitting against the web and base of the rails, said base-plate being provided with teeth on its under side which are adapted to engage with the ties to prevent spreading of the rails and are so formed as to separate the fibers of the wood instead of cutting the same and weakening the tie, a removable plate fitting closely against the opposite side of the rails and embracing the web and base thereof, bolts passing through registering openings in said plate, the web of the rail, and the before-mentioned wing, and spikes passing through the spikeopenings in the base-plate, the heads of the spikes engaging with the lower portion of the removable plate fitting against the base of the rails and tending to wedge the rails into a close engagement with the wing on the opposite side thereof.

In testimony whereof I all ix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JACOB P. ANK. [L. s.] l/Vitnesses:

R. M. MCOALL, C. MoCALL. 

